Home Survival Kit and Preparations

       The home survival kit is sometimes referred to as a 72 hour survival kit, but preparing for more than 72 hours is much preferable. It doesn't take that much more effort, and you may regret it if you need it for longer and don't have enough. Also think about having extra for nearby family or relatives who have not prepared but who you still love. This is not a portable kit that you can pick up in one bag. For portable kits, see the Evacuation Survival Kit page or the Travel Survival Kit page.

       Even though surviving at home is much easier than surviving outdoors, you still need to put considerable thought and resources into it. Go through in your head or on paper all that you intend to store and eat during a survival situation, and make sure you have all of the tools and equipment needed for it. As mentioned before, if you already have an Evacuation Survival Kit or Travel Survival Kit, you can incorporate the two, depending on your needs.

       Here are the basics for a home survival kit: (The first three items will be covered below. The rest have links to take you to their separate pages.)

1. First Aid supplies
2. Personal items
3. Survival Equipment
4. Survival Water
5. Survival Food
6. Survival Sanitation

1. First Aid Supplies

       Have the following basic first aid supplies in your home survival kit so you are prepared to help when someone is hurt. These are the very basics. A more extensive First Aid Kit is preferable.

• Two pairs of disposable gloves
• Sterile dressings to stop bleeding
• Cleansing agent/soap and antibiotic towelettes to disinfect
• Antibiotic ointment to prevent infection
• Burn ointment
• Adhesive bandages in a variety of sizes
• Eye wash solution to flush the eyes or as general decontaminant
• Scissors
• Over-the-counter medicines such as pain relievers, laxatives and anti-diarrhea medication.
• Prescription medications you take every day such as insulin, heart medicine, or asthma inhaler
• Prescribed medical supplies such as glucose monitoring equipment or blood pressure monitors

       Some of these items you will already have in your travel or evacuation survival kits. You can adjust the list below depending on what you already have and on your personal needs. But it is a good idea to have extra of these items stored away, especially consumables like toothpaste and toilet paper.

• Soap and shampoo items
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Toilet paper
• Comb, brush, shaver and other grooming items
• Perfume, deodorant etc.
• Creams and lotions
• Cleaning supplies and disinfectants
• Insect repellent
• Plates, utensils and other eating supplies
• Napkins, tissues etc.
• Bedding and clothing (and a good winter sleeping bag for power-outs in the winter.)
• Manual can opener
• Matches, lighters and candles
• Flashlight
• Batteries
• Books to read and games to play. (You my have a lot of time on your hands!)
• Add whatever other items you need in your particular situation.

       Here is a list called "From a Sarajevo War Survivor". It has some very practical ideas for what to store for survival. It is posted in many places on the Internet, and I have yet to find the original source of this. It was apparently sent in an email from someone in Sarajevo. It goes together with a list called "100 Items to Disappear First". Here is one place to find it: www.thepowerhour.com/news/items_disappearfirst. It is worth reading the whole webpage. The spelling and grammar are unedited:

From a Sarajevo War Survivor:

"Experiencing horrible things that can happen in a war - death of parents and friends, hunger and malnutrition, endless freezing cold, fear, sniper attacks.

1. Stockpiling helps. but you never no how long trouble will last, so locate near renewable food sources.
2. Living near a well with a manual pump is like being in Eden.
3. After awhile, even gold can lose its luster. But there is no luxury in war quite like toilet paper. Its surplus value is greater than gold's.
4. If you had to go without one utility, lose electricity - it's the easiest to do without (unless you're in a very nice climate with no need for heat.)
5. Canned foods are awesome, especially if their contents are tasty without heating. One of the best things to stockpile is canned gravy - it makes a lot of the dry unappetizing things you find to eat in war somewhat edible. Only needs enough heat to "warm", not to cook. It's cheap too, especially if you buy it in bulk.
6. Bring some books - escapist ones like romance or mysteries become more valuable as the war continues. Sure, it's great to have a lot of survival guides, but you'll figure most of that out on your own anyway - trust me, you'll have a lot of time on your hands.
7. The feeling that you're human can fade pretty fast. I can't tell you how many people I knew who would have traded a much needed meal for just a little bit of toothpaste, rouge, soap or cologne. Not much point in fighting if you have to lose your humanity. These things are morale-builders like nothing else.
8. Slow burning candles and matches, matches, matches."

       The items below are in addition to your Evacuation Survival Kit or your Travel Survival Kit. If you do not have either one of them, then go through those lists and pick out what you will need to survive at home if there is no electricity, water or other utilities, including items like a battery operated radio, a flashlight and batteries.

       Besides these items above, consider more advanced communication devices like a short wave radio and those in the aviation and marine bands. You can also take advantage of modern technology that can be used on personal phones and electronic devices, like GPS and Web 2.0 technologies. They can save your life, as they did with the man in the 2010 Haiti earthquake who used his iPhone to help treat his leg wound and communicate his whereabouts.

       Tools and equipment are very valuable during emergencies or financial tough times. The by-word for survival is self-sufficiency. You may not be able to get hold of contractors to do your home repairs, and the price of tools and equipment may be obscene. So before a crisis happens, invest in tools and equipment.

       For some ideas:

       Besides normal household tools and survival equipment, ... More ...

4. Survival Water
5. Survival Food
6. Survival Sanitation

Here are some more resources for a home survival kit:
Home survival kit from the the U.S. Ready.gov website.
Home survival kit from Emergency Management Ontario.